surveillance

Beware the unholy alliance of state and internet - FT.com

Surveillance means safety. This is the argument wherever and whenever governments seek new powers to monitor their citizens. Proposed legislation in the UK to enable police and intelligence services to access emails, Skype calls and Facebook messages is another such example. It is also another case of the unnecessary and dangerous expansion of state power, in collaboration with companies, into our online – and offline – lives.

Wikileaks docs reveal that governments use malware for surveillance

The latest round of documents published by Wikileaks offers a rare glimpse into the world of surveillance products. The collection—which Wikileaks calls the Spy Files—includes confidential brochures and slide presentations that companies use to market intrusive surveillance tools to governments and law enforcement agencies... The group says that these files are only the first set of a larger collection and that more will be published in the future.

Florida School District Puts Fingerprint Scanners on School Buses

A county in Florida has installed fingerprint scanners in school buses. Described as “one of the most monumental things that Washington County has ever done” by an education bureaucrat, the machines have been used since the beginning of the school year.

Ogden (UT) Police First-In-Nation To Use Surveillance Blimp

A patrol car fitted with all of the police extras cost $40,000; a surveillance blimp will cost well below that -- possibly as low as $15,000; after that, it is $100 a week to keep it filled with helium and charge its electric batteries; the police in Ogden, Utah, decides this is a good deal.

Police confuse bitcoin power usage for pot farm

One of the issues, other than if governments will try to outlaw bitcoin, is the high amount of electricity needed to create a single bitcoin. It might cost more to generate a bitcoin than the actual value a bitcoin is currently traded at. High electricity bills can lead to marijuana busts. And it is this unusual power consumption needed that caught my attention since it appears as a bitcoin miner has been mistaken as a person running a marijuana growing operation.

Social Network Surveillance and Anarchist Activism

FOX News reports: “A privacy watchdog’s freedom of information request has revealed a government memo encouraging agents to befriend people on a variety of social networks, to take advantage of their readiness to share — and spy on them.